Tottenham Could Finally Replace Dembele With £30m Titan

It is fair to say that the 2022/23 campaign did not go as planned for Tottenham Hotspur, with the Lilywhites having limply crashed out of all three cup competitions, while also slipping to a disappointing eighth-place finish in the Premier League.

Following the doom and gloom that surrounded the latter stages of Antonio Conte's time at the helm, Spurs supporters can now look to a brighter future under the management of Ange Postecoglou, with the 57-year-old hoping to replicate the success he enjoyed at former club, Celtic, where won five domestic trophies in just two seasons at Parkhead.

The Greek-Aussie's revolution has already begun at N17 with the signings of James Maddison, Manor Solomon and Guglielmo Vicario, although that does not look set to be the end of Daniel Levy's summer spending spree…

What are the latest Tottenham transfer rumours?

As Postecoglou has himself admitted, the north Londoners are notably looking to sign a new centre-back ahead of the start of next term, with the club currently in talks regarding a move for Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven.

As for other sections of the first-team squad, Spurs could also look to bolster their midfield ranks, having been named by The Athletic as one of the club's who are 'admirers' of PSV Eindhoven's Ibrahim Sangare, with the Ivory Coast international valued at around £30m by the Eredivisie side.

How good is Ibrahim Sangare?

The 25-year-old – who has been the subject of an offer from Nottingham Forest – has spent the last three seasons in the Netherlands after signing from Toulouse back in 2020, racking up 13 goals and nine assists in 133 games for his current side to date in all competitions.

A defensive midfielder by trade, the towering, 6 foot 3 titan would help to provide a real physical presence in Postecoglou's ranks, ensuring he could potentially be the man to finally replace the legendary figure of Mousa Dembele at N17.

mousa-dembele-tottenham-pochettino

The latter man – who is also an imposing presence at 6 foot 1 – enjoyed a stunning six-and-a-half-year spell with Spurs after joining from Fulham in 2012, having notably been lauded as a "genius" by former boss Mauricio Pochettino.

The elegant Belgian was undoubtedly a talent who could simply glide his way up the pitch with ease, with former teammate Kieran Trippier having recently spoken of his unique talents: "He’s an absolute magician. Just absolute frightening, with the ball, without the ball.

“He had everything. He had absolutely everything."

The now-retired powerhouse notably sparkled during the 2016/17 campaign as Pochettino's men finished second, showcasing his composure on the ball after enjoying an average pass accuracy rate of 92% from his 30 league outings, as per Sofascore, while also averaging 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game as a sign of his defensive dominance.

Sangare – who has been hailed as "extraordinary" by pundit Aad de Mos – does appear to have the tools to be able to emulate Dembele's influence in the centre of the park, with the PSV colossus having averaged 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game last term from his 29 league outings, while also enjoying an 84% pass accuracy rate.

With Spurs having had their woes in midfield in recent years – with Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg having been criticised by talkSPORT's Perry Grove last season as they seemingly "don't do anything" – finding a natural successor to Dembele should be a real priority as far as Levy is concerned.

While there is seemingly intense rival interest in Sangare at present, Postecoglou may wish to make his interest in the Koumassi-born gem more concrete.

West Ham: Moyes Could Repeat Fellaini Trick With £50m Titan

West Ham United appear to be closing in on a midfield replacement for Declan Rice, with their list of targets now reportedly whittled down to four.

Who are West Ham United signing?

According to transfer insider ExWHUEmployee, via Patreon, Conor Gallagher, Scott McTominay, Amadou Onana and Youssouf Fofana are the four men David Moyes has been running the rule over.

All four can bring different qualities to the London Stadium, but it is Onana who appears to be Moyes' top choice to replace Rice, having been constantly linked with the Irons over the past few months.

Indeed, the Belgium international came close to joining the Irons 12 months ago when a £33.5m agreement was reached with Lille, only for Premier League rivals Everton to get his signature first.

Transfer insider Alan Nixon has previously reported that it would take a bid of up to £50m to prise the 21-year-old away from Goodison Park this summer – a valuation West Ham could realistically match, given they will receive £105m through the sale of Rice to Arsenal

Is Amadou Onana a good option for West Ham?

West Ham's loss was very much Everton's gain last season as Onana took no time at all to settle into his new surroundings in the Premier League. The Senegal-born ace ranked in the top 7% of all midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for aerial duels won per 90 (2.17), as per FBref.

Onana is also in the top 23% for tackles per 90 (2.60) and the top 26% for both interceptions per 90 (1.34) and clearances per 90 (1.41). For comparison, Rice is only among the top 45% for tackles (2.17), but he ranks higher than Onana for interceptions (top 5%) and clearances (top 17%).

While the two men have strengths and weaknesses in various areas, there is no doubt that Onana would be a good fit for West Ham, especially if it is alongside a more attack-minded player in a pivot.

West Ham United manager David Moyes.

Moyes certainly has a good record when it comes to nurturing Belgian players in the past, most notably Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj.

Moyes was Everton manager when Fellaini joined for a then-club record £15m from Standard Liege, before making him his first signing as Manchester United boss.

Fellaini was far more successful at Everton than he was at United, but even then he still did the job that was asked of him by Moyes at Old Trafford and lasted five-and-a-half seasons before heading to China, where he is still plying his trade now with Shandong Taishan.

Like Onana, he boasted that bullish midfield presence, acting as a nightmare for those on the opposition.

Januzaj is another example of Moyes getting the most out of a Belgian talent, given he was the manager who handed the youngster his senior United debut in August 2013 – the first of 63 appearances he made for the Red Devils, with his career never truly taking off – before reuniting at Sunderland.

Described as a "colossus" by Daily Mail reporter Dominic King, it may well be that Onana is the next Fellaini-esque player that shines under Moyes. Should that be the case, Rice's drawn-out transfer saga really will be a thing of the past.

Rangers Can Repeat Goldson Masterclass With £5.4k-p/w Colossus

Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale has wasted little time in his attempts to improve his playing squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The Light Blues boss has already secured six new signings for the upcoming season after the club's failure to win any trophies last term.

They were unable to lift any silverware and the 42-year-old tactician will be hoping that his business this summer will allow them to compete domestically and in Europe in the coming months.

Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima, Kieran Dowell, Jack Butland, and Dujon Sterling have all arrived at Ibrox over the last couple of months but there could be more to come.

It was reported last month that the Gers are interested in signing Leeds United centre-back Charlie Cresswell and that they have already had one offer turned down for the England U21 international.

Is Charlie Cresswell right-footed?

The 20-year-old is a right-footed central defender who could follow in Connor Goldson's footsteps in Glasgow, as a young English enforcer.

Rangers snapped the now-30-year-old ace up from Brighton for a fee in the region of £3m in 2018 and that deal has turned out to be a masterclass of a move by Steven Gerrard.

Goldson, who was 25 at the time of the switch, has racked up a staggering 261 competitive appearances for the club and started all 38 Scottish Premiership games in the 2020/21 title-winning campaign.

Rangers centre-back Connor Goldson.

Gerrard invested in the right-footed Englishman back in 2018 and the Light Blues have reaped the benefits of that decision as the towering colossus has been a mainstay for the side over the last five years and played a key role during the aforementioned title success.

Rangers could now repeat that masterclass by swooping for the even-younger Cresswell this summer, as the Leeds starlet could be an exceptional long-term signing for the Glasgow giants.

His form on loan at Millwall whilst competing in the Championship last season suggests that the potential is there for him to be an excellent addition to Beale's squad, whilst his young age means that he has the scope to develop over time with more experience.

Cresswell averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.13 across 28 league appearances for the Lions, whilst Goldson (7.29) was the only Gers centre-back to average a higher score in the Premiership.

The 20-year-old titan, whose heading ability was hailed as "powerful" by journalist Josh Bunting, showcased his dominance at the back with a duel success rate of 60%, which shows that he is able to come out on top in the majority of his physical battles.

The £5.4k-per-week ace also made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game, in comparison to Goldson's 2.3, to win the ball back for his side on a consistent basis.

Cresswell's impressive statistics for Millwall suggest that the 6 foot 3 colossus has the defensive quality to be a consistent performer at the back for Rangers, in a similar fashion to the way that Goldson, who won 67% of his duels in the league last term, has been for the Light Blues over the years.

Therefore, Beale could repeat Gerrard's masterclass by swooping for another right-footed centre-back with the potential to be a dominant enforcer for the Scottish side for many years to come.

Celtic Can Replace O’Riley With Swoop For £9m Star At Parkhead

It has been a summer of turbulence for Celtic so far as they have lost key members of their team on and off the pitch since the start of last month.

Manager Ange Postecoglou departed to join Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and midfielder Aaron Mooy officially retired, while Jota has completed a permanent transfer to Al-Ittihad.

Brendan Rodgers, who replaced the Australian tactician at the helm, has also been able to snap up two new signings; Odin Thiago Holm and Marco Tilio.

The Hoops boss has also been linked with a swoop for Young Boys midfielder Fabian Rieder, who could come in as his dream heir to Matt O'Riley's place in the squad.

Premier League teams have been touted with interest in the Denmark international this year and Celtic are said to be expecting offers to come in for him ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

How did Fabian Rieder perform last season?

Rieder enjoyed a terrific campaign for his side in the Super League and his performances suggest that the potential is there for him to be an excellent replacement for O'Riley, should the ex-Fulham man depart Parkhead over the months to come.

The Switzerland international, who is valued at €10.5m (£9m) by FootballTransfers, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.17 across 33 league outings as he showcased his ability in and out of possession.

On the ball, the 21-year-old created 1.8 chances and completed 0.8 dribbles per game to go along with his seven goals from the middle of the park, as per Sofascore. Had he registered those numbers in a Celtic shirt, he would have ranked second and joint-first respectively among central midfielders within the Hoops' squad last term.

O'Riley, meanwhile, produced just 0.6 dribbles but a mighty 2.1 key passes per match for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, which does not suggest that there is a huge difference between them in that regard.

Defensively, Rieder made 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game while also coming out on top in 48% of his individual duels for Young Boys. No Celtic midfielder managed more than O'Riley's 2.2 tackles and interceptions combined per clash, suggesting that the Swiss ace could provide Rodgers with more bite in the middle of the park.

Young Boys midfielder Fabian Rieder.

These statistics outline that the talented magician, whose "exemplary determination" was hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has proven himself to be a midfield player with the ability to make a significant impact at both ends of the pitch.

Rieder has the potential to be an exceptional heir to O'Riley due to his defensive and offensive quality, to create chances while also being able to win possession back on a regular basis, which is why this signing could alleviate any concerns about the Danish gem's possible departure.

Tottenham: Spurs Now Make "Serious" Defender Bid

Tottenham Hotspur have made a "serious offer" to sign Galatasary centre-back Victor Nelsson this summer, according to reports out of Turkey.

Who could join Spurs this summer?

The 2023 summer transfer window is now officially open for business, presenting Spurs with an opportunity to strengthen and undergo an arguably needed overhaul.

Ange Posteocoglou faces the huge task of transforming the north Londoners back into a major Premier League force, coming after they fell short of both winning silverware and securing European qualification last season.

Many players could depart N17, with Hugo Lloris, Ivan Perisic, Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon, Clement Lenglet, Eric Dier and Ben Davies having all been tipped to potentially leave. Meanwhile, Tottenham are also planning to offload the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon and Harry Winks (The Telegraph).

In terms of incomings, Spurs are actively scouring the market for goalkeepers, leading to serious links with Brentford's David Raya among others.

Tottenham have also been tipped to potentially sign a new midfielder, like Leicester's James Maddison, and Postecoglou has apparently given the green-light to capture a centre-back.

For the latter position, Man City's Aymeric Laporte and Wolves defender Max KIlman have been mentioned as targets, but the Turkiye Gazetesi has some interesting news on Nelsson.

victor-nelsson-tottenham-transfer-news-opinion-premier-league

The Denmark international, who appeared for his country in Qatar at the World Cup last year, is attracting interest from Spurs and the newspaper claims they have made a "serious offer" for him.

Tottenham apparently informed Galatasary that they're willing to pay £16 million excluding bonuses for Nelsson, but there is an "expectation" they may need more – specifically around £19 million.

The defender's contract contains a £21m release clause, so Spurs may need to come closer to this figure if they wish to prise him away from Turkey.

Who is Victor Nelsson?

The report describes Nelsson as a "successful" first-teamer for Galatasary, and his stats from the 22/23 season certainly back that up.

The 24-year-old was selected over more Turkish top flight minutes than any other memeber of Okan Buruk's squad last campaign, highlighting his real importance to them (WhoScored).

In that time, Nelsson averaged more blocks per 90 than all of his Galatasary teammates in the league, all whilst also winning the highest number of aerial duels per match (WhoScored).

While he is arguably yet to be tested in a more demanding division like the Premier League, it is clear that Nelsson has been a star for his club, with Tottenham seemingly well aware.

Somerset make Abell Championship captain at 22

Somerset have named Tom Abell as their Championship captain for 2017. Abell, who replaces Chris Rogers after the Australian’s retirement, will be 23 by the time the season starts, making him one of the youngest captains on the county circuit. Jim Allenby, meanwhile, will continue to lead the club in T20 and 50-over cricket.The veteran Rogers enjoyed a successful one-off campaign with Somerset in his final season as a professional, seeing them narrowly miss out on a maiden Championship title on the last day. His replacement could not be more of a contrast, in terms of experience: Abell, a former Schools Cricketer of the Year, made his first-class debut in 2014 and has only played 32 matches.In 2016, his returns dipped to 538 runs at 25.61 and he will now have to balance opening the batting with an even greater workload – although he will have experienced heads, such as fellow opener and former captain Marcus Trescothick, to help him learn the ropes.

Young county captains

  • Kim Barnett: Barnett was 22 when he first led Derbyshire in the Championship in 1983 and supervised a period of unparallelled success for the county. Recently returned as director of cricket with Derbyshire once more in the mire.

  • Rory Hamilton-Brown: Chris Adams, Surrey’s director of cricket, presented Hamilton-Brown as a natural captain when he first skippered Surrey in 2010 at 22. He led them to promotion, but he never recovered professionally from the tragic death of his team-mate and old school friend Tom Maynard.

  • Alex Lees: Became Yorkshire’s youngest appointed captain since Lord Hawke when, at 23, he led them in limited-overs cricket in 2016, but replaced after one season.

“I feel hugely privileged and humbled to be made captain of Somerset County Cricket Club,” Abell said. “To have the opportunity to play for Somerset was a dream for me so to captain the club is something incredibly special.”To follow on from some of the previous captains of the club who are listed on the honours board in the pavilion is an incredible feeling and something that I don’t think will sink in for a while. After such an exciting and successful 2016 campaign, I hope we can build on what we created and bring further success next season.”Abell’s age need not be a barrier to success, with Somerset’s director of cricket, Matthew Maynard, citing the example of South Africa’s Graeme Smith, who took charge of his country at 22. In county cricket, 23-year-old Alex Lees captained Yorkshire in limited-overs cricket last year – though he has since stood down – while Rory Hamilton-Brown was 22 when he became Surrey’s youngest captain in a century in 2010.”People will no doubt point out Tom’s age but that doesn’t come in to it,” Maynard said. “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough and Tom is certainly good enough. Anyone who has spent any time in his company knows that his knowledge and understanding of the game are outstanding. He has an old head on those young shoulders and he is held in very high regard by his teammates.”He is the epitome of what this club is all about both on and off the field. His temperament and attitude are beyond reproach and there is no doubt in my mind that he will be an excellent captain for this club not just in 2017 but in the years to come.”Allenby has been an occasionally divisive figure since his arrival from Glamorgan in 2014 but last year he led Somerset to the semi-final of the Royal London Cup. They did, however, also finish bottom of the NatWest T20 Blast South Group.”To be captain of this club is a real honour and I am delighted to be doing the job,” he said. “I think that we’ve built something pretty special in the 50-over competition. We were so close to a Lord’s final and I see no reason why we can’t go one better next year. There is a really talented group of players here and I am excited to see just what we can achieve together.”

Mohit five-for seals Haryana's 161-run win

A round-up of the third round of Ranji Trophy 2016-17 Group C matches which ended on October 23, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2016Haryana needed only 22 overs on the fourth day to wrap a 161-run win over Chhattisgarh in Guwahati. Haryana captain Mohit Sharma and seamer Harshal Patel took two wickets each on the final day to bowl Chhattisgarh out for 117 in their chase of 279, after they had been reduced to 50 for 6 by stumps on the third evening. No. 3 Abhimanyu Chauhan resisted with a top score of 46, while wicketkeeper Vivek Naidu was unbeaten on 23. Mohit, who had taken three wickets on the third day, completed his five-for, conceding 27 runs in 11 overs.Unbeaten fifties from Anshul Gupta and Rahul Singh helped Services battle out a draw against Goa after they were asked to follow-on the fourth day in Cuttack. Resuming from an overnight score of 267 for 7, Services were dismissed for 279 and conceded a 327-run first-innings lead. Goa got early breakthroughs after enforcing the follow-on, reducing Services to 52 for 4 by the 16th over, but Gupta and Rahul batted out more than 50 overs and added 136 runs to ensure Goa only got points for the lead.Himachal Pradesh also played out a draw after following-on, against Tripura in Kalyani, riding on a century from opener Ankush Bains and fifties from Prashant Chopra, Nikhil Gangta and Rishi Dhawan to end with a score of 349 for 5 in their second innings. Himachal’s runs came at a brisk pace of 4.36 per over, after they began their day at 19 for 1. Chopra and Bains stretched their partnership to 76 before the latter shared two more half-century stands – with Paras Dogra and Gangta. Bains was the fifth wicket to fall, trapped lbw by Gurinder Singh, who took all four wickets on the day. Rishi Dhawan then struck a run-a-ball 54, with eight fours, in a sixth-wicket partnership of 107 runs with Gangta, to take Himachal to stumps.Balchander Anirudh’s maiden first-class century helped Hyderabad hold Kerala to a draw in Bhubaneswar. Anirudh’s 120 not out came in the second innings after Kerala had enforced the follow-on, having restricted Hyderabad’s first-innings total to 281. That Hyderabad got to a total of 281 was largely down to Mehdi Hassan’s 58, which helped them add 50 runs to the team’s overnight score. With a first-innings lead of 236, Kerala got an early breakthrough in Hyderabad’s second innings before being thwarted by Anirudh, who shared a 122-run third-wicket partnership with his captain S Badrinath. Anirudh’s knock came off 192 deliveries with 14 fours and two sixes.DB Ravi Teja’s 73-ball 50 steered Andhra’s successful chase of 191 against Jammu & Kashmir in Mumbai. Teja’s fifty in the four-wicket win complemented the efforts of left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt and seamer DP Vijaykumar who bundled J&K out for 111 in their second innings. J&K began the fourth day at 31 for 2 but Bhatt’s 5 for 60 and Vijaykumar’s three wickets triggered a collapse that saw J&K lose seven wickets for 38 runs. Parvez Rasool troubled Andhra’s chase with 4 for 55 but Andhra’s target was a bit too low for his wickets to have an impact.

تقارير: مستقبل توخيل معلق بخيط رفيع.. وبايرن ميونخ ينافس ليفربول على تشابي ألونسو

كشفت تقارير صحفية عن إمكانية إقالة توماس توخيل من منصبه كمدير فني لفريق بايرن ميونخ الألماني.

ويتراجع بايرن ميونخ في ترتيب الدوري الألماني خلف المتصدر باير ليفركوزن بفارق 5 نقاط.

كما تعرض بايرن ميونخ للهزيمة بهدف دون مقابل أمام لاتسيو في ذهاب دور الـ 16 لدوري أبطال أوروبا.

ووفقًا لصحيفة “تايمز” البريطانية، مستقبل توخيل أصبح معلقًا بخيط رفيع، وإذا ساءت الأمور بالنسبة لبايرن ميونيخ في الدوري الألماني، أو إذا فشلوا في العودة أمام لاتسيو في مباراة الإياب، فقد نشهد إقالة توخيل في منتصف الموسم.

يفيد التقرير أيضًا، أن بايرن ميونخ أيضًا قد يعين هانز فليك مدرب الفريق ومنتخب ألمانيا السابق، بصفة مؤقتة حال إقالة توخيل.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن بايرن ميونخ يتطلع للتعاقد مع تشابي ألونسو، مدرب باير ليفركوزن الحالي.

تشابي يقدم أداءً مميزًا في قيادة ليفركوزن، ويعد الإسباني هدفًا أيضًا لنادي ليفربول الإنجليزي.

وسيغادر يورجن كلوب منصبه كمدرب لليفربول في نهاية الموسم، ويرتبط النادي الإنجليزي بمفاوضات لضم تشابي ألونسو.

لعب ألونسو مع بايرن ميونخ بين عامي 2014 و2017، كما سبق ولعب لصفوف ليفربول أيضًا.

من جانبه أكد توماس توخيل أنه لا يخشى على مستقبله، متحدثًا بعد الهزيمة أمام لاتسيو، وقال: “لا، أنا لست قلقًا بشأن مستقبلي أو إقالتي المحتملة”.

وأضاف: “لقد فعلنا كل شيء من أجل عدم خسارة هذه المباراة، لقد كانت في أيدينا، في مرحلة معينة توقفنا عن الإيمان، ليس لدي أي فكرة عن السبب”.

وصرّح المدير الرياضي لبايرن ميونخ، كريستوف فرويند: “بالطبع يعاني توخيل من الوضع، وهو أمر صعب للغاية بالنسبة لنا جميعًا، ونحن جميعا في نفس القارب، الأمر ليس سهلاً، لكننا سنخرج من هذا الأمر معًا، هذا هو هدفنا”.

ليفربول يكتشف خصمه في دور الـ16 من كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي

اكتشف فريق ليفربول خصمه المرتقب في إطار منافسات دور الـ16 من بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي، 2023/24.

وفاز ساوثهامبتون، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء، على واتفورد بثلاثة أهداف دون رد في مباراة الإعادة في دور الـ32 من بطولة الكأس.

اقرأ أيضًا.. إندو يعود إلى ليفربول بعد توديع منتخب اليابان كأس آسيا

وكانت المباراة الأولى بين الفريقين، في وقت سابق من شهر يناير الماضي، قد انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لمثله.

وسحب الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم، قبل أسبوع، مراسم قرعة دور الـ16 من بطولة الكأس حيث تبين مواجهة ليفربول للفائز من مباراة ساوثهامبتون وواتفورد.

وبناءً على نتيجة اليوم، فإن ليفربول سيواجه نظيره ساوثهامبتون في الدور المقبل من بطولة الكأس، وذلك يوم 28 فبراير الحالي.

England aim to ram home advantage

While England are riding a wave of momentum after a thumping win, Sri Lanka’s woes are compounded as they are left sweating over the fitness of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan25-Jun-2016Match factsJune 26, 2016
Start time 1030 local (0930 GMT)Big PictureEoin Morgan demanded improvement from his England side after they escaped with a last-ball tie in the opening ODI of the series. He got it in no uncertain terms at Edgbaston. Accurate bowling, and a lively fielding display, was followed by a dominant, free-wheeling opening stand as Alex Hales and Jason Roy plundered the record books in a 10-wicket victory.The turnaround is now swift to the third match; a chance for England to carry their surge forward in Bristol, and an opportunity for Sri Lanka to quickly dust themselves off. But things are threatening to unravel for Angelo Mathews’ side after seeing a victory slip away and then his team dominated in all three departments.Too much in Sri Lanka’s batting is currently resting on the shoulders of Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal – to add to the problems that pair are also under an injury cloud having both suffered hamstring problems. Upul Tharanga’s breezy fifty at No. 7 at Edgbaston suggested he may be wasted down in the middle order.England, having shaken off the rust from the opening match, will be aiming to ram home their advantage and take an unbeatable lead in the series, although, let it not be forgotten, that the Super Series has already been secured.At the beginning of the series, the question of balance, in the absence of Ben Stokes, was a significant talking point, and at Trent Bridge, there were times when the lack of another main bowling option looked a problem. However, at Edgbaston, Joe Root’s three overs escaped with little punishment, while Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid conceded just 75 in 19 overs between them.Form guideEngland WTLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LTWWLIn the spotlight20-0-70-2: those are handy figures for Adil Rashid over the first two matches of the series. The legspinner has shown outstanding control when thrown the ball, bowling both his spells straight through to ensure Sri Lanka struggled to build much of a tempo to their innings. In both games, he has been helped by the early wickets nicked out by the pacemen, but the impressive factor in Rashid’s performances has been the lack of the really loose deliveries. There will still be days when it does not go so well for him, but he is a bowler increasingly capable of responding to the pressure.Upul Tharanga has played 156 of his 176 ODI innings as an opening batsman. He has 13 hundreds to his name – putting him fifth on Sri Lanka’s all-time list – albeit just one of them has come since a stellar 2011 in which he scored four. Sri Lanka have lost early wickets in both matches so far, and it would surely be worthwhile considering using Tharanga in the position he has forged for the majority of his career.Teams newsThere would appear to be little need for England to change anything after such a resounding victory, unless there is a desire to rotate anyone.England (probable) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 David Willey, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Adil RashidChandimal followed Mathews in picking up a hamstring problem at Edgbaston and did not keep wicket in the second half of the match. Both players will undergo fitness tests on Sunday morning. Keeping options is one thing Sri Lanka are not short of, but they can ill-afford to lose Chandimal’s batting. Mathews did not move freely when batting and was unable to bowl.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Upul Tharanga, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 7 Suraj Randiv, 9 Farveez Maharoof, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Suranga LakmalPitch and conditionsThe most recent Royal London Cup match at this ground produced 694 runs in 100 overs. The forecast is not entirely promising, with rain due to move in during the afternoon after a bright start.Stats and trivia England have played in Bristol nine times. The most recent match, against India in 2014, was abandoned without a ball bowled. Overall, they have won three and lost five. Since the second ODI against Pakistan, in Abu Dhabi in November, 2015, Alex Hales has scored 681 runs at 75.67 in 10 innings. Liam Plunkett needs one wicket to reach 50 in ODIsQuotes”A lot of hard work goes into batting, and a lot of emotions. So once those runs came to me, it all came out. It will be interesting to see my celebration – because I don’t really know what happened.”
“We have to try to flush it out of the system and forget about this game as quickly as possible – because we’ve got only one day to come back and play pretty well.”

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